Twenty three years ago yesterday, Pearl Jam performed their very first show under the name Mookie Blaylock at the late Seattle club Off Ramp. This week, they are celebrating their anniversary, as well as their latest and tenth studio release, Lightning Bolt, with an appearance on Late Night With Ji…
Is today really the day you can get a free Nirvana tattoo? Why, yes it is. From noon to 6PM today at Seattle's Silver Platters (and a couple of other places in the U.S.), you can get the squiggly Nirvana smiley face tattooed permanently on your body for free... well, for free if you pick up the 20t…
Conceived originally as a duo by singer/guitarist Brian Harding and singer/keyboardist Amalie Bruun (ex-Hymns and ex-Minks respectively), Ex Cops explore the depths of pop through a psych-tinged haze. Influences on their aptly titled 2013 debut, True Hallucinations, range from early 80's NZ jangle …
Toro y Moi kicked off his world tour with a performance at Sasquatch to the increasingly tired but never lacking in excitement crowd (see exhausted dancing). His set was between the PNW's Odesza in the morning and Disclosure's in the afternoon - a line-up of three amazing and impossible to not danc…
While we're all waiting for the warm weather to officially take hold (we've been given an enticingly cruel taste of it here in Northwest), Vampire Weekend has created the perfect summer album to fuel your anticipation. At times wistfully nostalgic, percolatingly peppy and even fiercely energetic, M…
Although they've been local stars for some time now, Ravenna Woods just stepped it up a notch. The trio of singer/guitarist Chris Cunningham, drummer Matt Badger, percussionist Brantley Duke, are now joined by keyboardist Sam Miller for their forthcoming release, adding another layer to their alrea…
The first performance of our Hood to Hood 2013 broadcast is a special collaborative performance by Jon Russell, Damien Jurado, and Tomo Nakayama, all Seattle based singer-songrwriters. So far Jon Russell has played just one show as a solo musician, an acoustic show at Neumos, though he has been pla…
The National have shared Track 3 from the upcoming Trouble Will Find Me online. "Don't Swallow the Cap" is the second song they've shared from the new LP, along with "Demons", and it proves that loyal fans will be very happy with the new album. "Don't Swallow the Cap" is much more in the vein of …
Seattle songwriter Kris Orlowski has the honesty, voice, and soul needed in a great pop folk songwriter. Since the mid-2000s, Orlowski has been on the Seattle circuit building a reputation for the highest quality songwriting with an equally talented band that seems to understand every turn and moo…
Back in 2015, Conor Oberst stepped away from the Desaparecidos' tour due to "laryngitis, anxiety, and exhaustion." During his recuperation in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, he began to create the songs for last year's full-length, the acoustic LP Ruminations. (Earlier this year, he released the f…
Arcade Fire have been touring behind their latest album Everything Now, released earlier this summer. At some of those shows, including Lollapalooza, they've covered John Lennon's 1973 song "Mind Games." They've now done an official studio recording of the cover for the latest installment in the Sp…
In September, KEXP made our first journey out to Montreal, Quebec, to immerse ourselves in their vibrant and eclectic music scene during the 16th annual POP Montreal Music Festival. With the assistance of FACTOR, a fellow nonprofit that assists the growth and development of musicians across Canada,…
Thee Oh Sees have cycled through a number of name changes over the years, and a few just in the past couple months, but for their forthcoming album Memory Of A Cut Off Head the California band is circling back to their original name OCS. Today OCS shared a new song off the new album called "The Foo…
Inspiration can come anytime; Montreal experimental trio Big Brave can attest to that. Guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie and guitarist Mathieu Bernard Ball began playing together in 2012 when they were roommates, Robin told us after their set. She played acoustic guitar and was working on writing son…
DJ Miss Ashley celebrates Women's History Month, featuring new tracks from some very talented female artists, including Madrid-based, all-female quartet Hinds, sister duo Bleached, local reggae singer and multi-instrumentalist Chava Mirel of Clinton Fearons Boogie Brown Band, and many other leadin…
The rollout of new Arcade Fire begins! And it truly couldn't happen at a better time. Stream the single "I Give You Power" below, which features guest vocals from legendary vocalist and civil rights activist Mavis Staples. The track is a Tidal exclusive (a company Win Butler and Régine Chassagne a…
This Saturday, KEXP presents Reykjavik Calling, the sister city showcase featuring some of the best bands and artists emerging from Seattle and Reykjavik. It's our seventh year featuring this cross-cultural musical exploration, and one of the two acts traveling here from Iceland is long-time KEXP f…
Alvvays are due to release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Antisocialites, on September 8 via Polyvinyl. Today they've shared the third single from the new album, "Plimsoll Punks." It follows the wistful tracks "In Undertow" and "Dreams Tonite." In a press release the band claims "Plimsol…
Say what you will about the Internet age, but this whole "global flow of instantly accessible information" thing definitely has its uses. A couple of which are pointed out by the conversation on the album cover for Hallelujah All the Way Home, the debut album by New Zealand band The Verlaines. For …
